€300,000
cost savings
Increased
internal mobility
Improved
employee retention
Bias-Free
talent identification
Workforce transitions are rarely easy. They often bring uncertainty, cost, and difficult decisions. But they don’t have to feel cold or transactional, for employees nor companies.
Atos chose a different approach, partnering with BrainsFirst to discover true potential through neuroscience.
Together they set out to make transitions more human, more insightful, and more future-focused. The result? A process that gave people clarity, confidence, and direction.
After a major reorganization, Atos faced a challenge: how to support hundreds of people who would soon be leaving the company. Severance packages and coaching could’ve been enough, but they weren’t the full answer.
Atos wanted people to not only know what they had done, but what they could do next. They introduced cognitive-based insights through the NeurOlympics, providing clear, data-driven insights from the brain, without assumptions or bias, and paired them with coaching and TMA-based talent analysis. This wasn’t about replacing the question “what do you like to do?”—it was about adding the deeper question: “what are you cognitively equipped to do?”
“TMA looks at what people want,” Rob Osterveer, Senior HR & Employability Advisor at Atos, shared. “But if a unit assistant says, ‘I want to stay a unit assistant,’ and that role no longer exists, then everything stops. We needed to go further.”
“We had to drill deeper,” Pieter Talsma, Talent & Employability Manager at Atos, added. “Not just what do you want, but what are you able to do? That’s where the NeurOlympics stepped in.”
This shift allowed Atos to move from fixed roles to flexible futures. It encouraged people to imagine new directions, even ones they hadn't previously considered, by focusing on what they could learn tomorrow, not just what they showed yesterday. And it gave the company room to think creatively about where talent could grow next.
Supporting people this way didn’t just feel right, it worked.
Instead of lingering in limbo or exiting under stress, employees moved forward with purpose and direction. Atos didn’t just offer career coaching, they offered clarity. For many, this shifted how they viewed not only their past but also their future. Instead of hearing “You’re out,” they heard “Here’s who you are. Let’s find what fits.” This mindset turned endings into new beginnings and earned the trust, respect, and gratitude of people even as they said goodbye.
Rather than focusing solely on external transitions, Atos also looked inward, using cognitive insights to uncover hidden matches across teams. People stepped into roles they’d never previously considered, but which fit both their wiring and their mindset. Teams gained fresh perspectives. Individuals found not just new jobs, but a renewed sense of purpose.
Alongside this human impact came financial value: Atos saved between €200,000 and €300,000 across the entire business case. This saving was realized through a faster, more effective matching of talent to new roles and a reduction in the time employees spent in costly redundancy processes, demonstrating that a human-centric approach can directly deliver substantial economic returns.
“I Wasn’t Okay”: What the NeurOlympics Helped a Leader Finally See
This wasn’t just a tool for employees, Atos’ leaders tried it themselves.
Pieter himself took the NeurOlympics and was surprised by what it revealed, not because it told him something completely new, but because it confirmed what he had been quietly feeling for a long time.
“When I did the assessments, it became very clear to me: people saw me as very results-oriented, but in my heart, I’m more people-oriented. What really gives me energy is doing it together, the process, the collaboration.”
That insight hit home. For a while, Pieter had been under pressure to deliver on KPIs. Outwardly, he said he was fine. Inwardly, he knew something was off.
“Everyone asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I said yes, and smiled a little– but deep inside, I wasn’t okay.”
The NeurOlympics gave him external validation of internal tension. It helped him understand why certain work gave him energy, and why some, even if successful on paper, left him drained.
“It gave me the insight and feedback that confirmed what I had been feeling all along. And I see the same pattern in many others, it’s a way to connect how people see you with how you actually experience your work.”
This kind of self-awareness is more than comforting– it’s actionable. It helps leaders steer toward roles and responsibilities that energize them and allows organizations to create better conditions for success and well-being.
One colleague had been circling the same question for a while: Am I really suited to be a manager? Despite years of strong performance, she kept doubting herself and stayed in a support role.
That’s when Rob, her coach, suggested: “Let’s do the NeurOlympics and find out.”
Rob remembered it well:
“She was a secretary to one of the directors, but in reality, she was already operating like one. She was leading in practice but without the title. Still, when we talked about her career, she said, ‘I don’t think I’m capable of being a manager, too much responsibility.’”
Instead of guessing, they turned to data.
“I told her, I don’t know if you’re right, but I also don’t know if you’re wrong. So let’s see.”
The results were clear. Her cognitive profile, measured without assumptions or self-perception, showed strong leadership wiring: decisiveness, structure, the ability to switch gears and see the bigger picture. It wasn’t a vague compliment. It was objective, data-backed insight from her brain that gave her what she needed most: confidence.
And she wasn’t the only one who needed clarity.
“Your manager needs that reassurance too,” says Rob. “Because when it comes down to investment, the question is: Do I want to invest in you? And how much certainty do I have about the outcome? If the future feels completely black, you hesitate. But when you can say, okay, the cognitive values are in place, that changes everything. You can learn anything… except how you’re wired. That’s more or less hard-coded.”
She accepted the role and is now thriving.For her, it was the validation to step forward.For Atos, it was the reassurance to invest– confidently and intentionally.
“This is what traditional evaluations miss,” Rob added. “They repeat what we already know. But this showed us who she could become and helped her believe it, too.”
After seeing the power of this approach during transitions, Atos began using the NeurOlympics at the very start of the journey as well.
Now, when a new colleague joins the talent pool, they get more than an interview, they gain self-insight into how their brains work and how to best tap into their true strengths in their careers. This understanding helps guide their next steps, shape their development plan, and spark meaningful conversations with managers about where they can grow.
It’s a gift that keeps giving.
Atos proves that even tough transitions can be transformative when handled with insight, empathy, and respect. They saved money. They provided guidance and a new future. They honored their people. And in this way, they could move on with their heads held high.
This isn’t just a better offboarding strategy, it’s a whole new way of looking at people, rooted in the belief that every brain counts – if you just know how to look.
When you start with how people are wired, you don’t just end jobs—you open futures.
Jan Willem Wiersma – strategic recruitment advisor at the Municipality of Rotterdam
